Explaining, now, the background of this invention in the arena of backpack structure, skiers and snowboarders are often faced with the difficult task of transporting their equipment to and from the location where it is being used. Because of the length and weight of skis or snowboards, carrying such a load by hand can be rapidly fatiguing and an impediment to mobility and agility. This is particularly true where the person must hike some distance to reach the desired location. It is, therefore, generally more convenient to secure the skis or snowboard to the bearer's back.
With this in mind, many prior art user borne load carrying systems have been invented to secure skis or snowboards to a user's back. Such devices have typically suffered from a number of deficiencies. In particular, some prior art devices will carry only skis and not snowboards, or vice versa, and, generally, are not adaptable to carry a wide range of loads. Other devices do not hold the load securely enough, allowing it to swing about, which can be particularly dangerous where the user is attempting to negotiate challenging terrain. In some cases, the load may even slip out of the device. A portion of the instability found in many prior art load carrying systems may be traced to the low coefficient of friction between the load and the materials of which the system is constructed. In yet other devices, attaching and removing the load is overly difficult.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a user bearable load carrying system which can be used effectively to secure an awkward load such as skis or a snowboard to an appropriate support structure, such as a backpack structure.
It is another object of the present invention to provide such a load carrying system that is readily adaptable to hold a wide variety of loads.
One more object of the present invention is to provide a user bearable load carrying system that holds a load sufficiently tightly to prevent shifting.
An additional object of the present invention is to provide a load carrying system of the type generally outlined that can quickly and easily secure a load.